Networks transfer information between two or more attached devices, e.g., a network of computers communicating with one another over a shared network medium. Local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) are two of many different types of networks. A network medium, e.g., cables (wired) or radio frequency transceivers (wireless), etc., connects together the network devices. Network components such as hubs, bridges, transceivers, and routers each add functionality to a network and many may include high-speed processors and switching devices to manage network traffic. Network traffic includes the transmission and receipt of data and information between devices using the above-described network.
Network administrators monitor network performance, network traffic level, and any network problems using network activity indicating devices. For example, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are illuminated at varying rates based on input from associated network devices. For example, a level of network activity may be indicated by a rate at which the LEDs flash.
Prior networking devices indicate network events to users by illuminating the LED for a specified period of time (an ON time) followed by extinguishing the illuminated light for another specified period of time (an OFF time) based on information received from a processor, e.g., a central processing unit. For example, according to one prior approach, an LED is illuminated for 5 milliseconds (ms) for each network event count sampled by the processor. In detail, the processor reads control and status registers of a media access controller, which is responsible for handling network events, of the network device on a periodic basis in order to determine activity counts for network events. Subsequently counted network events cause the LED to continue being illuminated for an additional 5 ms. Disadvantageously, the flicker caused by illuminating and extinguishing the LED does not reflect actual network events due to the stretching of the illumination due to sequentially received and counted network events which are more closely spaced than the specified period of “illumination” time for the LED. Further, processor time is used sampling the media access controller to obtain network event counts. E.g., the processor periodically polls network event counters.
Further disadvantageously, the LED is constantly illuminated at very low network event rates. For example, recurring events at a period of 5 ms or less cause the LED to indicate activity continuously on a 1,000 megabits per second (Mb/s) network link at 0.0164% utilization of the network link bandwidth.
Prior approaches fail to scale in accordance with the speed of the network link, e.g., 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s, 1,000 Mb/s, etc.